Question

I've never heard of finding baseball scholarship money.  It is normally stated that we will give you X% or amount for baseball and then help you find other scholarship money.  But maybe he is waiting to see what you get in other scholarship money and then help with baseball money.

D2 schools are allowed 9 scholarships: http://www.ncaa.org/about/divi...al-scholarship-model. I would check with admissions to see what your son can qualify for in academic scholarships. If he's ready to commit, then he should call the coach with that information and ask him what he is willing to offer him for an athletic scholarship. I don't recommend a wait-and-see approach - it's better to get clarification on where the coach stands sooner rather than later. Good luck! 

Congratulations to your son on the interest and what looks like could be a good match.

Yup, with Pitchingfan and BBmom... the baseball scholarship $ offer comes from the coach.  You should have your son contact him again and clarify what the baseball scholarship offer is.

Meanwhile, absolutely continue looking and fully pursuing other schools.  These things have a way of taking a turn.  Your son doesn't want to be left empty-handed and out of time.  To be honest, the fact that the coach didn't offer specific scholly $ and didn't offer more direction with academic $  (if that's the case) is a little bit of a red flag that says his interest was perhaps not as intense as you think.  Is there any doubt that your son will qualify and be accepted to this school?  Is there another reason why the coach may be taking a wait-and-see with your son?

Then I would have son ask for clarification from the coach as to what timeline he has in mind for any athletic scholarship $ that can be offered.  He can say that he is very interested in the school but it is obviously a big part of the equation in the decision-making process.  Maybe the coach is thinking your son will get most of school paid for academically, which would make it less critical for him to give up precious scholly $.  Maybe he is waiting to see exactly what other $ your son will get so he can fill in some of the balance.  But you usually won't know that for quite some time so I would be reluctant to wait for those stars to align.  Either way, I wouldn't want to be waiting in limbo, speculating on "maybe".  Have him ask the coach.

It's easier to say it in your head but you probably should have asked what the baseball offer was. Even if they offered 50% for baseball and academic money covered 80% they could easily just reduce the baseball money as necessary. He probably doesn't have much money, if any, to offer and is probably banking on his GPA covering most of the tuition. 

The skeptic in me says he isn't being 100% honest and is waiting until your son commits to the school before he says we have no money. I could be wrong. But things like public vs private, in state vs out of state also affect this. If the tuition is only 7k for in state students why would a coach waste a 50% offer on a kid when it will only reduce the tuition by a few thousand. If academic money covers 80% he can say well we'll take our 40% and give it to another kid. But that is the skeptic in me. 

As for your son he is very much still on the market. Until he receives an offer that is too good to pass up he is 100% a free agent. If your son starts talking to other schools and receives other offers you need to let the original coach know that you are getting other offers and you're considering committing but want to know what his offer is before making a decision. 

You also mention your son is a very good student. Make sure he is getting into the right academic situation before he makes a decision. Not to put D2 schools down but there are only a handful that would be considered strong academically. I know there is money involved so different story but just be aware of what he is potentially passing up. 

Baseball money is "found" when players drop off of the roster. This time of year, that can happen for any one of a variety of reasons: injury, academic/disciplinary difficulty, the draft, concerns about playing time, and desire to work on a degree elsewhere are a few of the reasons that come to mind readily for the fruit-basket-turnover process that can alter a college team's roster. Until a coaching staff feels that it has a pretty good handle on who's returning, there can be uncertainty about how much athletic money is available for entering players; particularly when the number is limited to 9 scholarships.

As others here have suggested, I'd find a way to achieve as much clarity around what the staff is confident they can provide from the athletic source. It's always possible that more will  be freed up later, but it shouldn't be counted upon. Then, once you know how much academic money is available, you've put yourself in the best possible position to make a decision involving the school.

Congratulations to your son for having put himself in this position!

Just my two cents....

Typically, I like to see the recruit be the mouthpiece in the recruiting process with the Coaches.   My exceptions are medical and (some) financial questions and issues.   I think your son needs to ask for specific details on his athletic scholarship offer with follow up from you to close the issue.   Without specifics there is no offer, and yes I would continue to pursue other opportunities.   Never take your "foot off the gas" until you get a letter from admissions or sign that NLI.   As others have stated, there is a slight red flag here.  Immediate follow up and clarification is needed by someone who understands financial matters. 

Good luck!

Side note... Prepster - new logo!  I'm guessing someone is on the move? 

... and I flip back to the home page and question answered... huge Congratulations !!!